North Carolina sludge-metal trio Weedeater endured a forced hiatus early last year, just as they were scheduled to begin recording their fourth full-length, Jason . . . the Dragon (Southern Lord), with Steve Albini—bassist and front man "Dixie" Dave Collins accidentally shot off his big toe while cleaning his favorite shotgun. (I wonder if he has a new favorite now.) But no pain, no gain, I guess: Jason . . . the Dragon has a lot more fresh air in it than the band's usual reeking-of-bongwater murk. Southern boogie and mutant blues inflame their thick down-tuned riffs, and the album sometimes sounds like a Molly Hatchet LP at 16 RPM. Collins's raspy vocals, meanwhile, make him sound like the kind of guy who loses appendages all the time. The goofy wit on display in album titles like . . . And Justice for Y'all and God Luck and Good Speed hasn't gone anywhere—there are songs called "Turkey Warlock" and "March of the Bipolar Bear"—and even if the gist of it is nothing more nuanced than "We're rednecks and we like drugs" (which was pretty obvious from the get-go), it's gratifying to see somebody take such a jokey approach to this dire-sounding genre. In combination with the album's front-porchy acoustic interludes, it gives you the sense that you'll be welcome at this ugly party—provided you manage to survive the homemade land mines in the pot patch. $15. —Monica Kendrick